No new elections for 15 months, Thai junta chief says

Thailand's ruling junta chief has ruled out holding elections for a year and three months to allow time for the country to enact political reforms and pursue "reconciliation" in the fiercely divided nation.

"The [ruling military regime] have a timeframe of one year and three months to move towards elections," said army chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha in a televised address more than a week after an army takeover.

He said a first three-month phase would focus on "reconciliation" while the cabinet and a new draft constitution would be put in place during a second year-long phase. Only after this could elections be held, he said.

Around 300 people have now been held for periods of up to a week, with those released threatened with prosecution if they continue their political activism.

On Thursday, the United States reiterated a call for a swift return to democratic rule, with State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying Washington would "use every political lever, economic lever where applicable to put the necessary pressure on".